Sidewalk installation attracts curious youngster

Thursday

Jun 5, 2014 at 12:00 PM

As workers with D & L Excavating, Inc., installed sections of sidewalk next to Palmyra Road Wednesday, representatives of an engineering firm and the city of Hannibal could be found watching to ensure all the construction guidelines were being met. In addition to the professional observers was one individual who was watching for the fun of it – 8-year-old Serenity Cheaney.

DANNY HENLEYdanny.henley@courierpost.com

As workers with D & L Excavating, Inc., installed sections of sidewalk next to Palmyra Road Wednesday, representatives of an engineering firm and the city of Hannibal could be found watching to ensure all the construction guidelines were being met. In addition to the professional observers was one individual who was watching for the fun of it – 8-year-old Serenity Cheaney.

“It’s really neat to watch them from my house,” said the youngster, who lives with her family at the corner of College Avenue and Palmyra Road.

After watching all the different tasks being performed, was there one that looked like the most fun to Serenity?

“All of them,” she said laughing.

Serenity, who will be a third grader next fall at Veterans Elementary School, is keeping close tabs on the workers’ progress because she’s looking forward to using the new stretch of concrete.

“I’ll ride my bike on it, probably. That’s the thing I most like to do,” she said.

Serenity’s stepfather, Randy Saxbury, is also anxious to see the sidewalk installation completed.

“It’s going to be better. I can take and walk my kids to the park now without being in the road,” he said. “They’re going to have a lot of fun on it.”

Saxbury believes the new stretch of pavement will be popular.

“It will be better for the college students to run on,” he said.

Palmyra Road resident Sue Conner agrees that the new sidewalk will be utilized.

“There’s a lot of people from HLG and the high school that run through here for track and it’s really dangerous. They’ll appreciate it, I’m sure,” she said. “I think it’s going to be really nice and great for the kids. They’ve been walking over in the cemetery. I don’t know whether the teachers or somebody said not to walk through here because it’s unsafe, because they never have walked over here. Now they’ll feel safer.”

While a few residents along Palmyra Road resisted the sidewalk project, Conner didn’t mind giving up a portion of her front yard.

“It’s less grass to cut in the summer and it’s safe for the kids, that’s the main thing,” she said.

While the project is underway, Palmyra Road is closed to through traffic. Thus far, Conner says it hasn’t been a problem.

“It hasn’t been any inconvenience at all,” she said. “As long as we can get in and out, I don’t care because it’s all going to be 100 percent better.”